The number of types of electronic devices that are commercially available has increased tremendously the past few years, and the rate of introduction of these devices shows no signs of abating. Devices, such as tablet, laptop, netbook, desktop, and all-in-one computers, cell, smart, and media phones, storage devices, portable media players, navigation systems, monitors, and others, have become ubiquitous.
Often, these devices communicate with other devices. As just one example, a desktop computer may need to communicate with a monitor or display device. Such communications may take place over a cable. The cable may have connector inserts on each end, where the connector inserts mate with connector receptacles on the desktop and the monitor.
Currently, electronic devices may include many connector receptacles. For example, a laptop computer may have connectors for Universal Serial Bus (USB), a High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI), Digital Visual Interface (DVI), power, Ethernet, DisplayPort, Thunderbolt, and other types of interfaces.
Such diversity is not without its downside. The inclusion of so many connectors consumes space inside the electronic device, as well as the surface area of its outer case. This means that smaller devices may only be able to include a limited number of connectors. Customer confusion may also result as users try to sort through a bewildering array of acronyms. Design complexity may also be increased. For example, to avoid damage, each new connector may be constructed such that a connector insert from a cable that supports one interface cannot be improperly inserted into a connector receptacle for another interface.
Also, as these standards and interfaces evolve, devices with newer connectors may not be compatible with a user's legacy components. For example, a new computer may have an HDMI connector, while a monitor may have a DVI connector. An adapter to convert signals from HDMI to DVI may be used, but such necessity invokes further customer dissatisfaction.
Thus, what is needed are circuits, methods, and apparatus that limit the number of types of connector receptacles needed by an electronic device.